Type of Credit: Elective
Credit(s)
Number of Students
The rise of Big Tech is disrupting long entrenched industries across the world, giving rise to newmultifaceted challenges for the next generation of tech business leaders. When companies enter new markets, they inevitably confront new, and often unfamiliar, problems operating across bor- ders and encounter different regulatory and cultural systems. Big Tech firms wrangle with such challenges more than most due to their limited pre-existing global infrastructure and ambitious growth objectives.
Challenges we will consider include:
• To what degree are global Big Tech companies responsible for the political and social impactof how their technology is used, whether intended or not?
• What strategies can executives deploy to manage unexpected problems arising from Westerntech platforms operating in new countries abroad?
• How are U.S. companies (e.g. Amazon, Facebook) and Chinese firms (e.g. Alibaba, Huawei)engaged in uniting or dividing the global Internet landscape? To what extent do they supportor challenge government policies and goals as they expand?
• Is the world bifurcating into distinct universes of technology platforms divided by national origin? How do executives and politicians decide which platform to embrace and how they should be regulated?
• How will the rise of Big Tech reshape international economic and political relationships?
• To what degree are global Big Tech companies responsible for the increase of income or wealthinequality over the years?
This course considers such questions by examining global business issues through the lens of industry structure, cross-border intellectual property, global supply chains, and the intersection of government and industry. My aim is to provoke intelligent, respectful conversations over business leaders priorities and responsibilities, asking students to think deeply about tradeoffs ratherthan finding a single solution that fits all scenarios. Students will focus on figuring out the right questions for executives to ask and analyze how to uncover practical solutions to complex problems.
We will draw lessons from real-life problems faced by global technology companies, primarily those headquartered in Silicon Valley and China, and analyze their successes, failures, and opportunities. We will draw on current news events to understand how executives and policy makerstoday are grappling, successfully and unsuccessfully, with these issues
能力項目說明
We are passionate about this subject and will share insight from first-hand experience advisingand reporting on these companies. We expect each student to bring their own personal experiencesas a technology user, future business leader and global citizen to our classroom discussion every session. Given the complex and global nature of the subject matter, we ask that all members of the class respect diverse political views and cultural perspectives, which are encouraged to be shared. While we may have strong points of view, ultimately we are working together to find solutions.
Name Cards
Students will display name cards at the start of every class. This will help us get to know each other and facilitate discussion. Our teaching assistants will work with you all to create name cards after the class roster is finalized.
Learning Teams
Students will form learning teams of five to six students at the start of our second session. Each learning team should sit together during class and will be your team for the group project and weekly small group discussions. To facilitate a sharing of diverse perspectives, each learning team should include at least two Taiwanese students and two international students. At a minimum each team must include at least one Taiwanese student and one international student. You may choose your own team members.
Mentoring Session
During the semester, I will offer mentoring sessions with learning teams - preferably lunches near campus or lunchboxes in the International Building, depending on your learning team’s schedule. You can sign up for time slots in groups with our teaching assistants. This is your opportunity to ask questions and discuss career objectives and future opportunities. It is my opportunity to learn more about your interests, experience, and gauge how the class is progressing. This is a supplement to office hours appointments.
| 教學週次Course Week | 彈性補充教學週次Flexible Supplemental Instruction Week | 彈性補充教學類別Flexible Supplemental Instruction Type |
|---|---|---|
Schedule of Classes
Introduction: The Rise of Big Tech Around the World
September 13: Introduction - The Rise of Big Tech
Session 1: Introduction to Course / Meet Your Professors
Session 2: Survey - What Do We Think?
September 20: The Digital Divide - A Tech Cold War Between the U.S and China
Prep Before Class: Bain Technology Report 2022; SCMP China Internet Report 2022
Session 3: Reading Discussion
Session 4: Understanding the Technology Cold War
Silicon Valley and China’s Business Culture and Approach to Global Growth
September 27: The View from Silicon Valley and its Quest for Monopoly Power
Prep Before Class: Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Session 5: Reading Discussion
Session 6: Applying Business Concepts to Technology
October 4: Building a Global Internet Platform at Scale
Prep Before Class: Amazon Shareholder Letter 2020+1997; Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos
documentary
Session 7: Reading Discussion
Session 8: The Power of Scale in the Digital Economy
October 11: How China’s Internet Leaders See the World
Prep Before Class: Alibaba: The House that Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark or Crocodile in the Yangtze
Documentary
Session 9: Reading Discussion
Session 10: Guest Interview - Shirley Lin, first Alibaba investor
October 18: Into the Lagoon: China’s Response to U.S. Tech Competition
Prep Before Class: NY Times - How China is Changing Your Internet; Seizing Core Technologies by Adam Segal
Session 11: Reading Discussion
Session 12: The WSJ Investigative Reporter’s Guide to Research
October 25: EU-Taiwan Commission on TikTok Safety and Security
Prep Before Class:
Session 13: Reading Discussion + Preparation for Huawei Hearing Session 14: Commission Hearing on TikTok
Exercise
November 1: Emerging Taiwan Media Voices and Chinese Disinformation Efforts
Prep Before Class: Ghost Island Media Podcasts and WSJ article on China disinformation
Session 15: Guest Interview – Emily Y. Wu - Ghost Island Media
Session 16: Guest Interview – Joyu Wang – The Wall Street Journal
Due November 7 noon: ”Billion Dollar Bet” assignment
November 8: Investing Amid the Global Digital Divide
Prep Before Class: Review “Billion Dollar Bet” for Q&A
Session 17: Guest Portfolio Manager Q&A
Session 18: Guest PM Q&A Pt. 2
The Impact of Big Tech’s Rise on Business, Society and Politics
November 15: Government and Policy: Technology, Data, and Crisis Preparation
Prep Before Class: The Fifth Risk excerpt by Michael Lewis
Session 19: Reading Discussion
Session 20: Introduction to The Briefing Group Project
November 22: Data and Privacy: Secrets and Surveillance in the Digital Age
Prep Before Class: Edward Snowden podcast (Part One + Two; United States of Secrets documentary (Part One
+ Two)
Session 21: Reading Discussion
Session 22: TBD
November 29: China’s Surveillance State: Social Control and Big Tech
Prep Before Class: Surveillance State book excerpt
Session 23: Reading Discussion
Session 24: Guest Interview
December 6: Making Money: Cryptocurrency and Blockchain
Prep Before Class: The Meaning of Decentralization; Bitcoin: A Peer-to- Peer Electronic Cash System
Session 25: Reading Discussion
Session 26: Guest Interview
December 13: Taiwan’s Semiconductor Industry: Observations on Today and Tomorrow
Session 27: Lecture on Semiconductor Industry in Taiwan
Session 28: Student Q&A with Prof. Carew
Global Digital Divide
December 20: Alphabet Anti-Trust Hearing
Session 29: Reading Discussion + Preparation for Alphabet Hearing
Session 30: Hearing on Alphabet Exercise
December 27: Student Presentations (Pt. 1)
Session 31: The Briefing Final Project Presentations (Pt. 1)
Session 32: Q&A
January 3: Lessons Learned: Assessing Big Tech’s Future
Session 35: Student Presentations (Pt. 2)
Session 36: The Big Course Takeaways - Your Views Now vs. Then
We look forward to a great semester and appreciate you signing up for the course.
Grading
There will be no final exam, but rather a series of assignments and projects over the course of the semester. This makes it essential for you to stay engaged throughout the course.
Grading will be as follows:
Weekly Reading Takeaways 20%
Congressional Hearing Exercises 20%
Individual Assignment - The Billion Dollar Bet 20%
Group Project - The Briefing 20%
Engagement + Contribution to Learning 20%
Total: 100%
Weekly Reading Takeaways
In preparation for each class session students are expected to digest the readings and prepare five key takeaways they consider surprising or essential. These should be well-composed and re- searched, including additional outside research to support your takeaway.
The five weekly reading takeaways must be submitted online by 5pm Tuesday the day before the class session discussing that topic and be no longer than one-page in 12pt font. Your professors will review them before class, so it is essential that you submit them on time.
We will open most classes with a brief discussion of current news events, followed by a longer discussion guided by the takeaways and additional notes you have prepared in advance. I will post on the screen at the beginning of class the key themes for our reading discussion and guide our conversation by asking students to discuss their related prepared points from the reading takeaways.
At the end of each class session, we will spend 5-10 minutes giving a preview of the readings for the upcoming class and answer any questions about the week ahead.
Congressional Hearing Exercises:
During the semester, we will do two roleplaying exercise - the Hearings of TikTok and Alphabet - to consider the business implications of national security and antitrust policy. Students will be able to sign up for different roles - serving as a witness, prosecution counsel, defense counsel, or senator. I will provide a handout on detailed expectations for this assignment.
”The Billion Dollar Bet” - Individual Paper:
Building on the material from the first half of the course, students will be asked to compare the business model and financial prospects of companies from Silicon Valley and other technology hubs. You have been hired by the portfolio manager of a major global hedge fund to perform a comparative analysis to inform her investment decision. You, the analyst, are asked to investigate a pairing of companies with similar business models (e.g. e-commerce: Amazon + Alibaba; social media: Facebook + Tencent) and prepare an investment memorandum on which company she should invest $1 billion of their $20 billion dollar fund. The investment memorandum must display an understanding of the companies’ current business model, leadership, future potential, and risks. You are asked to particularly consider how well the company will fare as they grow internationally, considering potential regulatory and cultural challenges. We will provide a handout on detailed expectations for this assignment.
“The Briefing” Group Project:
For “The Briefing” group project, students will work with their learning team to prepare the presentation. Your group, a team of global researchers, has been tasked to brief the Senate Intelligence Committee by writing a policy brief/essay on a case study illustrating the Global Digital Divide. You will have to prepare a written briefing/essay and create a website to share the lessons learned that 1) shows a deep understanding of the problem and its impact on the local community 2) proposes or illustrates an innovative solution that benefits the company’s stakeholders and business prospects 3) develops a practical strategy to address anticipated regulatory and social problems going forward both locally and globally. You may find examples created by previous students at www.globaldigitaldivide.com
Class Preparation:
My expectation is that you will spend an average of six hours per week (in addition to class time) on this course. This includes readings, research and preparing “Key Takeaways.” You are expected to be an active reader of the course material, both digesting and challenging the views of the authors we read. When we have a guest speaker, you are expected to review their biography and public writings, as well as prepare informed questions. Please prepare three thoughtful and well-researched questions to be submitted via Moodle by noon Tuesday before our class session with a guest speaker.
In the workplace you will undoubtedly encounter information overload and I will provide a large volume of reading and materials that are resources for your learning. I do not expect every student to read every word of the material provided. In the course, I want you to hone the skill of sorting through information to identify what matters and can inform your understanding and our discussion. I will not test your knowledge of every point of fact. This course is meant to provoke thought and develop critical thinking skills rather than serve as a “gotcha” exercise to ensure you have read each page or chapter. If you are struggling with managing the reading workload, please reach out to me and we can discuss strategies together.
In addition to the course material, you are expected to stay current on news in the technology industry by reading a range of sources (e.g., The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Economist, Bloomberg and tech blogs). I highly recommend the free and easy-to-use Congressional Research Service Reports (https://crsreports.congress.gov/) service, which provides briefings on a wide range of topics we will cover. Preparing in groups is encouraged.
Engagement and Contribution to Learning:
Student engagement is crucial to include valuable student perspectives in our discussion and develop critical thinking and communication skills in a professional and supportive setting.
Active student engagement is a must for both overall course and individual student success. As part of the learning process, I expect students to be ‘all-in’ during class, take intellectual risks, and strive to communicate thoughtfully and effectively. Laptops, tablets, phones and other electronic devices are generally not permitted in the classroom unless required for certain assignments. Please ensure that all devices are turned off and put away before class begins.
Course Materials:
We will prepare for each session with a combination of books, news articles, and video material to prompt discussion. These materials are outlined in this syllabus, which will be updated via Blackboard as the course progresses.
Attendance Policy:
Attendance at all class sessions is expected and required; anticipated absences must be communicated via email in advance to our teaching assistants except in unforeseen circumstances.